Twin bed couch



June 21, 1938. -J. D. BELL 2,120,962

TWIN BED COUCH Filed April 18. 1956 4 INVENTOR,

Patented June 21, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 8 Claims.

My invention relates to the sofa or studio couch type of furniture. of the invention is to supply a space saving convertible piece of furniture, which is durable, artistic, comfortable, convenient, and inexpensive. The next object of the invention is that the operation of converting the furniture from one of 1 double serving cushioned member which may be moved face outward andupward from a position for a back rest to a position on which one may sit or sleep. Another object. of the inventionis to provide a bodily movable couch for abutment against the double serving member when the latter is-inposition for a back rest and to be held in the abuttedposition by means which permit the forward movement of the double serving member to dislodge. it and moveit outwardfrom said position.

Another object of the invention is to have the bodily movable couch equipped with large rubbertired Wheels, placed in fixed alignment with each other, in order that the wheels will better grip their traction surface, and will travel over high and uneven edges of rugs without deflecting the straight line of travel course of'the wheels, and be quietly and. speedily moved with the utmost ease, and without any. damage to the rugs or floor surface.

Another object of the invention is to provide a double serving member which may be fastened in a vertical position adjacent the wall of auto house cars and be swung out into a position for use as asettee or bed.

Another object of the invention is to provide a knock down means for said'device to facilitate the crating or delivery of it.

Another object of the invention is'to provide a supporting means for the double service member which will act to clamp said member fiat'ways against the wall or back when said member is in 1 an approximate vertical position", and to act as an under support for. it when the latteris in a'horizontal position.

Another object of thisinvention is to provide an arrangement whereby a bed mattress on a rigid frame may be positioned edged up against the wall, and without moving the floor engaging supporting means,or that the frame may be tilted Among the first of the objects forward, guided and lowered and supported to a horizontal position by a construction embodying either two links extended from near the floor upward and connected to the said frame, and aided by a means to arrest the forward tiltvof said links, 5 or two links with projections pointed at. a right angle of the main body of said link, either in L fashion or Z fashion, to compel the entire frame to come out more evenly from the wall when said frame is pulled forward at one end, or to improve the evennessof guiding the said frame by rigidly connecting one end of the two of the first named links by a bar extending from one end of the said frame to the other thus comprising a rigid yoke member.

Another object of the invention is to provide swingingly connected supporting links with right angle parallel prongs projecting in Z shape fashion from its ends to accomplish the somewhat equivalent of a yoke member extending from one end of couch to the other.

' Another object of the invention is to move the back member from its normal position to a horizontal position with the finished face up and thus make a finished couch without the aid of additional covering, and to have the bodily movable couch also a finished couch when it is drawn away from the back.

Another object of the invention is to have the back member so arranged that it can either be swung into a horizontal position, with face up ward or face downward.

Another object is to havea back which can be brought to a horizontal position coming out only apart of the distance full height, then flip upinto position substantially within the confines of the couch, thus avoiding the necessity of moving tables and the like which might be contacted were it let down face downward in a crowded room.

Another object of the invention is to supply two complete finished couches or single beds, or one double bed, or one couch with a back, and to have a receptacle for bedding in one of the couches.

In the accompanying drawing:-Figure 1 is an end view of the studio couch with nearmost end removed showing the bodily removable couch seat positioned against the back, and a dotted outline of said couch rolled out from said position; 50

Fig. 2 is an end view of the studio couch with nearmost end removed showing the back thereof moved'to a horizontal position and the bodily removable couch abutted against the outer edge of said back to forma double bed.

Fig. 3 is a broken line plan view of the studio couch base structure showing the back and ends attached thereto, and the bodily movable couch seat partly moved away from the back.

Fig. 4 is a detailed prospective sectional view showing a type of floor engaging support for the padded back member of the couch and indicating a method of connection between the body member of the yoke and the swinging arm and means of, connecting it to floor engaging supporting member, and means for connecting a torsion spring to the yoke and to the said supporting means,

and connection of a means for limiting the swing of the yoke and a means over which the wheels of the bodily removable couch travel and drop behind for holding the latter abutted against the back of the couch and preventing the tilting backward of the couch, and one of the end arms of the yoke member which supports the outer portion of the horizontally extended back member.

Fig. 5 is an end view of studio couch with the. nearmost end removed indicating a link guiding and supporting member, a type of stop for limiting the forward swing of said link and a type of guide for guiding and preventing the back of said couch from contacting a wall surface in course of being extended to a horizontal position; and a support for the outer edge of the horizontally positioned back, and a means permitting the back to be placed in a horizontal position with either face or bottom upward. Fig. 6 indicates a type of guiding and supporting links which may be used.

Referring to drawing:

l indicates a floor engaging support comprising two angle irons 27 arranged in spaced and parallel relation and which may be secured, by means of screws 2|, to the inner faces. of two spaced couch ends I6.

2 indicates a couch back member, which, in accordance with my invention, may be converted into a seat for the couch.

3 indicates a pair of registering links, pivoted in the opposite angle irons 21 as shown at 28 and pivoted to the ends of the back member 2 as shown at 29.

4 indicates a second pair of registering links, pivoted to the angle irons 21 in front of the first pair, as at 30, and to the ends of the back member 2 as at 3|. The pivots 3i are in front and higher than the pivots 29 as shown particularly well in Figure 1. This second pair of links limits the forward swing of the back.

5'indicates a back board member serving to check the rearward travel of the back and to tie the two angle irons 21 together.

6 indicates a pair of wheel rests projecting inwardly from the angle irons 21, each including a flat rear section 32 for a couch wheel to rest on and a raised front section 33 with in-' clined ends to offer yielding resistance to any movement of the wheel away from the back. When the couch wheels rest on the rear sections 32 they, at the same time, keep the support I from tilting over backward when pressure is exerted against the top of back 2.

7 shows two supporting legs for the front end of the seat 2, the legs being interconnected by a continuous bar 34, thus forming a yoke.

8 is a couch frame in the nature of a box and has two end members 35 and two partitions 36 mounted in close proximity to the end members to form end compartments 24 in which the wheels 9 are mountedon axles Ill, so that the major portion of each wheel is concealed in its compartment while only a minor portion projects downwardly below the box.

The space. I l between the compartments is used as a storing place for bedding and a cushioned frame l2 overlies the box and forms a lid therefor, which latter is hinged at l3. Upon the lid is mounted a loose cushion M which levels up with the top of back member 2 when the latter is in horizontal position.

[5 denotes a pair of plates secured to the ends of the member 2 and serving as a support for the pivots 29 and 3|. It has an offset ear 26 for the latter pivot so as to permit the pivot 29 to swing around the pivot 3! from the position shown in Figure 1 to that of Figure 2.

l 6 indicates end arms for the couch which may be entirely omitted as far as the operation of my invention is. concerned.

I! denotes a connecting member between the links 3 and causes the latter to be rigidly con-. nected so that each will follow the other no matter from which end the back in operated.

I8 is a torsion spring surrounding the bar l1 and. connecting, with one end, to said bar as shown at l9 while the other end is connected to one of the angle irons I! as shown at 2B. This spring is under tension in each end position of the member 2 and facilitates the initiation of a movement into the other position.

In Figure 5, 4A indicates one type of guide for guiding the pin 4D projecting from the back 2 and it serves to partly perform the function of the links 4 shown in Figure 1. The pin 40 projecting inwardly from the member l6 serves as a stop for the link 3. 4B is a bracket secured to the member l6 and is provided with an arcuate slot adapted to receive the pin 4D of the back 2 for retarding its forward swing and. for supporting the front of the back when the latter is used as a seat.

The strap 22 indicates a means by which the back 2 may be pulled forward or otherwise actuated.

23 indicates wedge-shaped members on the ends of couch 8 for facilitating the guiding of said couch between end arms I6.

25 indicates plumb line of wall surface. The connecting locations of links 3 and 4 to support I and to plate 15 describes a means for compelling the said back to travel face upward from its vertical to a horizontal position. The turned up points on leg 1 are 'to prevent it, in its course of travel, from catching on floor rugs or the like.

The operation of my invention may be explained as follows: For the purposes of the explanation the two links 3 will be considered the main supporting links and the links 4 control elements for guiding the member 2. This interpretation is preferred because other control means may be substituted for the links 4, as clearly appears from Figure 5 in which the stop 40 and the guide 4A perform a similar function.

In Figure 1 the member I is shown in its rearward position so as to form a back. The couch 8 is pushed up against the back so as to form a seat for the sofa and is yieldingly held in this position by the members 6 on which the rear wheels 9 of the couch rest. These members have a raised portion in front of the wheels which yieldingly opposes forward movement of the couch, while at the same time, the weight of the couch resting on the members 6 prevents tilting over backward of the floor engaging'support I.

To change the back into a seat the operator applies forward movement to the upper edge of upright position, due to the action of the links '3 and '4, until it is-well advanced beyond the vertical planes of the supporting pivots 28 and 30 forthe links, when 'it comes to a stop in mid-air and does not respond any further to forward pressure because the rear links '3 and the front flare of unequal length. Now the forward pressure on the upper edge of the back is changed to {downward pressure with a slight rearward pull and the two upper pivots of the links will turn one around the other to cause the upper edge of the back to drop back into the position or Figure 2 so as to form a seat.

'Itshould be noted that a very slight amount of pressure and guidance of the upper edge of the back in one continuous motion is sufficient for carrying out this operation. The spring aids in initiating the forward movement, and the 'slight overweight of the upper portion of the back over thelower portion aids in the turning movement. As theback drops into seat position it again places the spring l8 under tension to facili tate initiation of the reverse movement.

'Dur'ing' "the first advance movement of the back "2 a forward impetus is given to the couch to push the rear wheels over the humps of the members -6 and this impetus is sufficient to roll the couch out of the way as shown in dotted lines in Figure l.

Quring the advance of the back from the position'sh'own in Figure l the legs I slide forward over the floor (the front ends of the legs being turned upward to avoid scratching of the fioor) and when the final turning movement is brought about the legs naturally drop into the front edge position shown in Figure 2'whi1e the rear edge of the seat comes to rest on the rear support 5.

For reversing the position of the member 2 and changing the seat to a back theoperator first kicks the legs I, which are interconnected, outward and then exerts downward pressure on the front edge of the seat. This causes the upper pivots of the links 3 and 4 to turn one around the other and causes the seat to turn into the vertical advance position previously described. A slight rearward pressure, aided by the tension of the spring l8, now causes the seat to ride on the links to the rear into the position shown in Fig- I ure 1 until it strikes the stop 5.

During the first part of the backward movement which involves a slight rise of the back until it passes the vertical plane of the pivots the tension of the spring aids the movement, while during the second part of the rearward movement the weight of the back itself supplies the moving force which is also sufficient to place the spring under tension. The legs 1 which were kicked forward at the beginning of the reverse movement, are dragged along during the latter movement to assume the position shown in Figure 1.

In the modification of Figure 5 the control links 4 are omitted and a different control is substituted. During the forward movement of the member 2 from the position shown it is held in substantially upright position by the guide 4A until the links 3 strike the stop 4C whereupon the turning-movement 'i's-executed to bring'the member into horizontal position. At the end of the turning movement the pins "4D engage with the slot in the bracketsflB for supporting the "front edge of theseat while the rear edge rests on the'supportf'i. I Q

1 or reverse movement the front edge is deressed to turn the seat into vertical position and the seat is then-pushed back into its original position to form a back. It is apparent that any other-suitable means may be substituted for the guide AA for holding the back 2 in upright position during the forward movement as for instance by the placing of the pins 4D in front of the links 3 so as to 'bearagainst the same when the back is pushed forwarda It will be noted from Fig. 1, that when the back is in its rearward and upright position, the major portion -of the weight of the rest is arranged over the rear section of the supporting frame. It will further be noted that the frame or supporting base itself is rather extended transverselyto form a full-length couch and is rather short from front to rear and may be defined as having relatively closely related front and rear sections, with the supporting pivots arranged substantially centrallyjbetween the front and rear sections. In order to prevent the base from overturning, particularly when the back is relatively high, the idea of first moving the back over forward so as to shift the weight thereof to the front section of the base before executing the rearward tilting motion is particularly significant. This principle may beused; of course, in roll-about beds without departing from the spirit of the the sofa, the couch being movable in response to the forward movement of the back.

2. In combination, in a sofa or the like, a back, mounting means for the same causing a free forward movement of the back in a substantially upright position in response to forward momentum imparted to the upper edge thereof, and a detached, freely movable couch in front of the back so as to form a seat for the sofa, the couch being movable in response to the forward movement of the back and having means associated therewith for yieldingly holding the same to the back when the latter is in its rearmost position so as to form a unit therewith.

3. In combination, a frame having a pair of links coaxially mounted thereon, a rest pivotally supported in the free ends of the links with freedom of forward swinging motion in substantially vertical position to a point beyond the axis of the links and of a tilting motion into horizontal position at the end of the forotally supported in the free ends of the links with freedom of forward swinging motion in substantially vertical position to a point beyond the axis of the links and of tilting motion into horizontal position at the end of the forward motion, and a second pair of links swingably mounted on the frame and pivoted to the rest and being positioned to cause said motions when .the rest is manually moved forward, the second pair being mounted forwardly of the first pair while the rest is in its original position and being arranged to cross the first pair during the tilting motion.

5. In a device of the character described, a pair of spaced frame members having registering pivots, a pair of links having their lower ends supported on the pivots, a rest suspended in the upper ends of the links with freedom of swinging motion across the vertical plane of the pivots and a second pair of links pivoted tothe frame members and the rest and positioned for holding the latter in substantiallyupright position while crossing said plane, the second pair of links limiting the forward movement of the rest but permitting the same to turn into horizontal position for forming a seat.

6. In a device of the character described, a pair of spaced frame members having registering pivots, a pair of links having their lower ends supported on the pivots, a rest suspended in the upper ends of the links with freedom of swinging motion across the vertical plane of the pivots and a second pair of links pivoted to the frame members and the rest for holding the latter in substantially upright position while crossing said plane, and means for limiting the rearward swing of the rest whereby the latter is made to form an upright back, the second pair of links limiting the forward movement of the rest but permitting the same to turn into horizontal position for forming a seat, the limiting means for the rearward swing being made to form a support for the rear portion of the seat when positioned as a seat.

7. In a device of the character described, a pair of spaced frame members having registering pivots, a pair of links having their lower ends supported on the pivots, a rest suspended in the upper ends of the links with freedom of swinging motion across the vertical plane of the pivots and a second pair of links pivoted to the frame members and the rest and positioned for holding the latter in substantially upright position while crossing said plane, and means for limiting the rearward swing of the rest whereby the latter is made to form an upright back, the second pair of links limiting the forward movement of the rest but permitting the same to turn into horizontal position for forminga seat, a leg being pivoted to the bottom portion of the rest so as to project forwardly therefrom when the rest is in vertical position and being adapted to slide forward on the forward movement of the rest and to move into seat supporting position when the rest moves into the position of a seat.

8. In a device of the character described, a pair of spaced frame members having registering pivots, a pair of links having their lower ends supported on the pivots, a rest suspended in the upper ends of the links with freedom of swinging motion across the vertical plane of the pivots, guide means for holding the rest in substantially vertical position while crossing said plane and arranged to permit the rest to swing into horizontal position after crossing said plane and a support at the rear end'of the frame members arranged to support the rest in horizontal position. V

JOSEPH D. BELL. 

